As I See It

Published: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 08:43 PM.

The ball is definitely in the GOP’s court to enact legislation that will be to the benefit of all us in the great state of North Carolina. May God give them wisdom!

Reece Gardner is the host of “The Reece Gardner Hour,” which airs on TACC-9 on Mondays at 9 p.m., Tuesdays at 8 p.m., Thursdays at 11 p.m., Sundays at 10:30 p.m.and on-demand anytime at TACC9.com. You can reach Reece at rbgej@aol.com.

In my Feb. 6 column, I stated in a couple of weeks I would highlight some of the activity going on in our North Carolina Legislature. I will do that, but first I want to (hopefully) evoke a little laughter with a few “play-on-words” observations.

Here are a few:

A great name for a new country song: “If I had shot you sooner, I’d be out of jail by now”

Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you’re a mile away and you have their shoes

It’s always darkest before the dawn, so if you’re going to steal your neighbor’s newspaper, that’s the time to do it

He who believes the past cannot be changed has not yet written his memoirs

May those who love us, love us, and those who don’t love us, may God turn their hearts, and if He cannot turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles, so that we may know them by their limping

Now for some highlights of things happening in Raleigh:

Voter ID: A bill now being enacted will establish a photo ID requirement to vote in North Carolina. This legislation has some real teeth in it and will require voters to show an ID, such as a driver’s license or other comparable documents.

Two of our representatives from this area, N.C. Sen. Louis Pate and N.C. Rep. John Bell, among others, are strong proponents of this bill. It will pass easily and will be signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory.

Unemployment insurance: This legislation will reduce the maximum number of weeks unemployed workers can receive benefits from the current 26 weeks to 20 weeks, and will reduce the maximum weekly unemployment benefit from $535 to $350.

This will help pay back the $2.5 billion debt our state got into when it borrowed money from the federal government to pay unemployment benefits in the recent past. This bill will become effective for claims filed after July 1 of this year and will not affect the benefits of any workers currently receiving unemployment benefits.

Expanding Medicaid as called for by Obamacare: A ruling last year by the U.S. Supreme Court gave states the option of opting out of this plan.

North Carolina has now joined some 19 other states such as Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Michigan, Arizona and Ohio in rejecting this expansion, maintaining it is filled with waste and fraud and is an ineffective way to provide health care. Medicaid in North Carolina already accounts for 15 percent of the General Fund and is the fastest growing part of the budget.

Producing natural gas: This is a very important part of legislative activity and regulations are now being enacted to produce natural gas with hydraulic fracking.

We will be discussing other legislation in the future, such as expanding school choice, lessening government regulations, reforming our tax system and rebuilding and protecting our infrastructure.

One thing is sure: whatever governmental activity that takes place, at least in the near future, will bear the Republican brand throughout the state.

Just look at the situation: Republicans, for the first time since the 19th century, hold a majority of seats on county commissions in the state; have a 33-17 advantage of N.C. Senate seats and a 77-43 majority in the House; hold the governor and lieutenant governor seats; and a 9-4 advantage of U.S. House seats.

The ball is definitely in the GOP’s court to enact legislation that will be to the benefit of all us in the great state of North Carolina. May God give them wisdom!

Reece Gardner is the host of “The Reece Gardner Hour,” which airs on TACC-9 on Mondays at 9 p.m., Tuesdays at 8 p.m., Thursdays at 11 p.m., Sundays at 10:30 p.m.and on-demand anytime at TACC9.com. You can reach Reece at rbgej@aol.com.